This paper measures per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, not heavy metals, in 91 personal hygiene products from six categories: sanitary pads, panty liners, tampons, paper diapers, menstrual cups, and bactericidal liquids. The study country is China, and most products were bought online. The abstract states that perfluorinated carboxylic acids accounted for over 85% of the total PFAS concentrations, and that paper diapers contained the highest sum of PFAS concentrations at 64.6 ng/g, followed by sanitary pads at 52.3 ng/g and menstrual cups at 21.1 ng/g. Section 3.1 separately prints mean sums of 21 PFAS as 14.95 ng/g in paper diapers, with a detection frequency of 100% in that category. One ledger row records the abstract’s paper-diaper headline only. The congener table was not copied.
Key numbers
Figures below are copied as printed. Units are not converted. Species are not merged.
| Analyte | What was reported | Value | Unit | Basis | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PFAS | Paper diapers contained the highest sum of PFAS concentrations (64.6 ng/g) | 64.6 | ng/g | top layer of paper diapers normally in skin contact, as described for this product class | Abstract, p. 1 |
Methods (brief)
Ninety-one products were extracted using literature methods with minor changes. Pads, liners, and paper diapers were analyzed on the top layer in skin contact. Instrumental analysis was ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry. Concentrations below the detection limit were treated as undetected. Dermal exposure and environmental emission were then estimated.
Evidence fitness
PFAS occurrence in personal hygiene products, including paper diapers, as an exposure pathway. This is not heavy-metal occurrence.
They do not support Any heavy-metal concentration. PFAS are not heavy metals; A single all-product mean. Category means in section 3.1 are not the same numbers as the abstract’s highest-sum figures; The congener-by-congener table. It was not copied.
Limitations
PFAS study, not a metal study. The abstract’s 64.6 ng/g highest sum for paper diapers is not defined as a mean, a maximum, or a total, and it does not match the section 3.1 mean of 14.95 ng/g for the sum of 21 PFAS in paper diapers. Supporting tables that might resolve that difference are not in this text extract. Only the top layer of diapers was analyzed.
Related evidence
- No product, ingredient, or metal page is declared, because the source does not resolve one.
Update history
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